Meet Zuwa Edobor | CEO/Founder of Royal Priesthood clothing

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zuwa Edobor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zuwa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My first thoughts were that i wanted to have a company that represents people like me. A child of immigrant Nigerian parents, that grows up in Queens New York. I wanted to fuse my Nigerian culture with my New York urban culture through fashion. I was also inspired by my father who is an entrepreneur, and wanted to start my own business in a field that i am very passionate about. My passion for fashion also comes from my mother who always kept us looking right growing up. It is not a common thing in a Nigerian household to pursue business in fashion, but I loved fashion so much and wanted to express myself through the pieces i create.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My company is Royal Priesthood, and we sell clothing and accessories. I am most proud of how i was able to bring my dreams of making clothes to actual life and the fact that we have been in business for over 7 years. I got to where I am today by being persistent in trying to make the clothes that I wanted to be displayed. I also used the hard lessons that i learned in failing over the years. We got to where we are professionally by staying persistent and consistent and making huge financial sacrifices for the company.
It was not easy at all to maintain this business for the past 7 years. I learned alot about being strategic in what we release and in how we market our products. I learned that you have to also take those scary risks in order to be successful. I want the world to know that we are a brand that represents Africa and the importance of the continent. I also learned that it is okay to be niche. You do not have to have a brand that caters to everyone’s style, it is okay to be innovative and create the style. I try my hardest to be different and not look at other brands.
We believe Africa is in all of us, and we are all affected in some way. We also make one of a kind unique clothes that will be statement pieces where ever you go.

What sets us apart is that every piece tells a story. Every design has a piece of Africa in it. Whether it be out native cloth and fabric, or a symbol or an actual person. We are not scared to jump out the box and make things that are not common and that are not easily duplicated.

I get excited when it comes time to create new pieces, i get inspired everyday from the smallest things.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It would be hard for me to answer this question as all my closest friends live in NYC or are from NYC. I have also become more of a homebody. But we will probably frequent a long list of restaurants in the city or in Long Island city for brunches and dinners. We can also go to a nice speakeasy Record Room at night for good music and vibes. Depending on the friend we can do some more tourist activities by going to MoMA and the Edge.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my Parents, my Wife and my Sister. They were the ones that believed in me the most and were very instrumental in me starting and sustaining business. They were also there through the ups and downs.

Website: https://Www.royalpriesthoodinc.com

Instagram: @royalpriesthoodinc

Facebook: https://Facebook.com/royalpriesthoodinc

Image Credits
ILLFlix